This A5's specification should be as good as convertibles get. After
all, the engine is the smooth, torquey 3.0 TDI (we love that in every Audi) and
it's attached to the twin-clutch S-Tronic ‘box (which we like just as much in
every VAG product). Lazy gearbox to suit the wafting cabrio, economy of the
diesel to suit your wallet. And Audi really knows how to build great soft-tops
- the A4 Cabriolet was a constant best-seller.

But
things don't quite add up. The chief culprit is the gearbox, which is standard
fit on the 3.0 TDI. Positives first: it's a dual-clutch, so the changes up and
down the 'box in full auto are silky smooth and very slick. You hardly ever
notice them and the kickdown speed is much better than in a normal torque
convertor auto, too.

But
around town and in full auto mode, the gearbox holds onto its gears for too
long, so you're sat at 2,000rpm rather than 1,500rpm. That doesn't sound
significant, but it feels wrong, and the engine should drop to lower revs as
much as possible to keep the noise down. That's especially true in a cabrio,
when the noise is being directed straight into your earholes.

I've
driven A5 Coupes with this engine and a manual gearbox and the combination is
much better. Audi will offer a manual 3.0 TDI Cabriolet in the future, but
uptake is expected to be so low that there's no hurry to introduce it. Best fix
this one, then.

Piers Ward